PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 23 



hirtus), both taken in Dalkcy Sound; and from himself the reddish grey bat 

 (Vespertilio Nattereri), captured in the county of Kildare. 



Doctor. Gordon begged to propose a vote of thanks to the donors, and in doing so 

 he could not avoid remarking on the great value and practical importance of 

 thoroughly examining and discussing in the Society every point of interest con- 

 nected with such donations. It was in that manner that natural history was made 

 a useful and an improving study, and such notes of inquiry being given at the time, 

 made the records of any donations doubly valuable, and at the same time had the 

 effect of greatly encouraging and interesting donors to seek further objects that 

 might be equally attractive to the pursuits of the Society. The monthly numbers 

 of the " Annals of Natural History" bore testimony to the labours of J. E. Gray, 

 Esq., of the British Museum, who was indefatigable in his investigations to bring 

 to light any new features of interest, or in forming more correct classifications in 

 the zoological department of the museum. This being seconded and responded to, 



Mr. Kinahan read the following paper on the occurrence of Nattereri's bat in the 

 county Kildare: — Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen — The bats, particularly in 

 Britain, have been long confessedly a little known, because an almost unstudied, 

 family ; and hence, every observation made concerning them or their habits has an 

 interest for the naturalist. It is, therefore, with feelings of great pleasure that I rise 

 to-night to lay before your Society some new, and, as I hope, though scanty, inte- 

 resting observations made when, last summer, along with a friend, I had the good 

 fortune to discover a new locality for the reddish-grey or fringe-winged bat 

 (V. Nattereri). This bat, very local in England, in this country is to be numbered 

 among the many new animals brought to light by the exertions of your Society and 

 its members, as its first record as an Irish bat was owing to a specimen, killed 

 by G. Mangan, Esq., at the Scalp, county Dublin, near Enniskerry, and by him 

 presented to the Dublin Natural History Society, through E. M'Coy, Esq., by whom 

 a paper on it was read at your meeting in February, 1845. Mr. M'Coy was 

 unable to furnish any details concerning its habits. The specimens on the table 

 were obtained in Levitstown, in the county Kildare, under the following circum- 

 stances : — For the first recent specimens of this bat I was indebted to Frederick 

 Haughton, Esq., Levitstown, by whom they were shot on the river Barrow, on the 

 22d of June ; they were handed to me, with the remark that they appeared to him 

 lighter in colour than the bats he was accustomed to see about the place. On 

 examination it was soon evident what they were f and having learnt from Mr. 

 H. that he thought they had their nest in Tankardstown-bridge, as he had himself 

 counted thirty- five and upwards flying out of a hole in it, and had been credibly 

 informed that fifty-three were seen, I determined to examine the locality. The 

 place pointed out was a set of small holes in one of the triangular abutments of the 

 bridge, situated about four feet from the water at its ordinary height, and evidently 

 containing a large colony, as the stones around its edge were polished and shining 

 with the feet of the little animals running over them. On poking a switch into one 

 of the holes, a loud chirping and clicking was immediately set up ; but as nothing 

 could be done, on account of the earliness of the hour, we let them alone till 

 evening, when, armed with a guage butterfly net and an ordinary landing net, we 

 again rowed to the place, where a loud chirping, squeaking, and clicking announced 

 that our little friends were already on the alert — this was 8.30 ; it was, however, 

 9.30 before they made their appearance, though all this time a great scrambling and 

 scuffling was audible from the hole. This evening we captured three, and counted 

 (including captives) forty-one bats coming out, between 9.30 and 10.30, and when 

 we left, there seemed as many more in the hole, at least the chirping and scrambling 

 was as loud as ever. On arriving at home we examined our captives, which turned 

 out to be two full-grown female specimens of Natterer's bat (V. Nattereri), and one 

 female Pipistrelle (V. Pipistrellus). The next night we proceeded again to the 

 hole, and the bats began to fly precisely to the minute at 9.30. We remarked, 

 however, several bats coming up the river half an hour earlier, either from Levits- 

 town mills, or from an old church which here overhangs the river. The evening 

 was dark and cloudy, and the night growing gradually more tempestuous, Natterer s 

 bat began to return to their nest at 10, flying about our heads, and almost mobbing 

 u». The following day was wet and stormy, and though the evening cleared up, 



